Never Alone
by xBrokenxAngelxWingsx
Summary: Sequel to 'Only in Dreams' Night after night, Sakura dreams of Sasuke. But when do dreams become a reality?


**Never Alone **

**A/N-Alright, seeing as how people are begging me for a new chapter, I'm gonna do it. I've gotten some very positive reviews for Only in Dreams, which makes this authoress VERY happy! Alright, check out my other story, Surprise. It's not finished yet, I only started 3 days ago, but please review. It makes me update faster! Thanks to my cousin, who posts my stories for me! **

**Other A/N- above this, that was my cousin. For new readers, she writes these and I post them.**

Sakura sighed as she lay in the Hot Springs. After a hard days work, she needed to relax. The 16 year old leaned her head back against a rock, closing her eyes as she did so, letting the warmth seep through her aching muscles. She was tired, there was no doubt about that. After all, she could barely remember the last time she had a break. Normally, she got up after having those terrible (yet oh-so-satisfying) dreams about Sasuke, had breakfast, studied, trained for a long time, came home, ate dinner, studied, and went to bed.

However, today Tsunade-sama decided to let her go early because she had some paperwork. It was too early to eat dinner, and Naruto was off on a mission, so Sakura decided to visit the Hot Springs. She hadn't been there in a long time. Sakura felt incredibly warm and relaxed, and smiled, rubbing her neck absentmindedly with her hand. She hadn't felt like this in so long. She missed it. This feeling of serenity was hard to come by, and the pink-haired woman grabbed every opportunity she could. Sighing in satisfaction, she sunk further into the steaming waters. She dropped her guard, and could mentally hear Sasuke berating her. She smiled bitterly at the thought.

"Sasuke-kun...'' She mumbled, an image of him surfacing to her mind. Kami, she would never tire of hearing his name. Sakura grit her teeth in frustration_. 'Get over it! He's never coming back!' _Inner Sakura berated. _'Shut up.'_ Sakura retorted angrily. She was so busy that she didn't feel the water rippling at first. She snapped open her vibrant green eyes and they connected with dark black ones. Slowly, they traveled downwards, and were met with a firm, muscled chest. Sakura gulped, not allowing her eyes (or her thoughts, for that matter) to go any farther, and brought them back up. One thing was for sure, Uchiha Sasuke had DEFINATLY grown up. Slowly, Sasuke swam towards her. Sakura felt her body heat up as he slowly inched towards her, and it wasn't because of the water. That much she knew.

"Sasuke-kun..." She muttered softly, a blush staining her cheeks. The Uchiha prodigy didn't say anything, merely staring at her with those eyes of his. Sakura felt her breath catch in her throat. She was suddenly glad that the water came up a little lower than her throat, otherwise the air would be thicker than it already was...

"W-what are you doing?" Sakura stuttered as Sasuke began to come closer. She put her hands in front of her, as if to ward him away, but Sasuke grabbed them with his two hands and put them around his neck. He was now so close that Sakura could've counted the light freckles that dotted the bridge of his nose. _'I didn't know he had freckles.' _She thought to herself. Everything felt so surreal that she didn't feel like herself.

"Sakura..." Sasuke growled, and she felt her breath hitch at the sound of her name on his lips. Suddenly, his lips crashed onto hers. Sakura gasped in his mouth, allowing his tongue to snake inside. Slowly, Sakura melted into the kiss, her fingers running through his hair. Sasuke wound his arms around her, crushing her body to his. He began to kiss her neck, and Sakura closed her eyes, whimpering his name.

Sakura awoke with a startled gasp, and looked around. Before she could stop it, that same feeling of regret and anger rushed through her, and the tears began to cascade down her face. She buried her face in her hands, crying in anguish. Why wouldn't they stop? Why wouldn't they leave her alone? It's not like missing him didn't hurt her enough when she was awake, why did her dreams torture her mercilessly in her sleep as well? She furiously wiped her face with a wrinkled hand. How long had she been asleep in this water? She was pruning. She wrapped a towel around her and dressed quickly, walking home dejectedly.

She could still taste him, still smell him, still feel him. Before she knew it, she was standing outside her door. She stared at it blankly, seeing it but not really. Without realizing what she was doing, she was fumbling for her keys and unlocking her door, stepping inside. She numbly made some tea, not feeling all that hungry. Once her tea was done, Sakura sat down on her window seat. It was decorated with pillows, and she leaned her head against the wall, watching the rain pound her window. She blew gently on her tea, still staring out at the darkening sky. When had her life become this? When had she become such a shell of her former self? _'When Sasuke-kun left Konoha_' her traitor of a mind whispered nastily.

Eventually, Sakura had enough of replaying the dream in her head, and put her cup in the sink. She gripped the outside of it, and hung her head, feeling tears make their way slowly down her face. She was so tired of waiting for him. Honestly, she didn't know why she did it. All she knew was that every time she tried to give up on him, her heart wouldn't let her. Just the mere thought of it made her chest tighten in panic. The tears began to flow faster.

She loved him, and it hurt her so much. She wanted to be happy. She wanted the kind of love that Naruto and Hinata had, that Shikamaru and Ino had. Even the kind of love that Neji and Tenten had. But she couldn't, and all because of the Uchiha genius. Because she couldn't get his parting words out of her mind. Because she couldn't get that rare smile that he would sometimes give her out. Because of the last shred of hope she had that one day, he would return home, and all would be okay.

It was raining the next day, and Tsunade gave her a message that there would be no training. Not really knowing what to do with herself, Sakura sat on her squishy armchair and watched t.v. She knew she should be studying, but she had nothing new TO study. Thus, she found herself still in her pajamas and a bedhead, pathetically caught up in Japanese Soap Operas. She knew she was stupid for watching it and getting caught up in it, but there was nothing better to do. Sakura sighed, leaning her head against her open palm and listening to the rain. It was comforting, in a way.

Suddenly, there was a knock at her door, and Sakura opened it. There, standing in front of her, was a dripping wet Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun, wha-" But she never got to finish, because she was suddenly against a wall, and a strong grip was holding her hands above her head. Sasuke's breath was on her cheek, and his body was so close that she could feel the warmth it admitted. Sakura found herself captivated by those obsidian eyes, and she found that she could not look away.

"I need you." Sure, they weren't exactly the three words the medic-nin had been longing to hear from the Uchiha, but they were close enough. She surprised the both of them by making the first move. She kissed him, hesitation laced in every soft kiss. Finally, he had enough of her teasing, and licked her bottom lip. She opened her mouth to him, and he explored it, making sure he memorized every crevice before pulling away. Sakura, breathing heavily, could only gaze at him dreamily.

It was the thunder that woke her up. She bolted from the seat, the light from the t.v her only comfort. That rush of lonliness was familiar, as were the tears. A knock on her door interrupted her from her pain, and Sakura froze. Even Inner Sakura has stopped mid rant about how much she despised the Uchiha genius at the moment.

Swallowing hard, Sakura walked to the door. She took a deep breath and opened in. When she did, she saw Naruto's grinning face. She fought hard to keep her face from falling in disappointment, and her inner self was screaming with anger. With whatever energy she mustered, she smiled and invited the blond in. Naruto had no problem hiding his excitement as he plopped down on Sakura's couch.

"I proposed to Hinata-chan, and she said yes!" He shouted, and this time, the pink-haired medic's smile was genuine.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you Naruto!" She tried to squash that feeling of anger that she would never have what he had. Once the loud mouthed blond left, Sakura leaned against the door, sighing as she ran a hand haphazardly through her long, pink locks. She honestly felt happy for Naruto, because he deserved love, but she wistfully wished that she could have the same thing with Sasuke.

She shook her head. He was never coming back, no matter how much her dreams screamed otherwise. _'Idiot._' Inner Sakura hissed at her. Frowning, Sakura walked into her kitchen, standing there for a while. The memories of her and Sasuke were hard to repress, and they came flowing into her mind. They finally stopped, and Sakura sighed. She was tired, both physically and emotionally. Not only that, but she was cold. The girl trudged into her room, and sighed as she snuggled beneath her warm blue comforter. She felt guilty for not having studied or trained at all today, but she felt so lazy. Sakura stared out her window into the howling rain. _'The sky is as dark as his eyes..._' She unconciously thought, then mentally smacked herself. _'You're supposed to be getting over him!'_ Inner Sakura yelled angrily at her.

Sakura wanted to kill her inner self. Growling, she turned away from the window. However, it seemed like today was just not her day. There, sitting innocently on her bedstand, was the picture of Team 7. Snarling angrily, Sakura got up and stomped out of her room. The 16 year old found herself, once again, sitting in her kitchen. However, this time she was drinking tea, trying desperately to calm her nerves before she had a breakdown or something.

Sakura sighed, and ran a hand through her hair. She got up, went into her bedroom, and came back into the kitchen. She was staring at the picture of Team 7, and felt the corners of her lips twitch. Naruto now was a little bit more mature, and his face was that of a teenager. Kakashi still looked the same. Sakura glanced down at herself. Her hair wasn't as long now, only slightly past her shoulders. Also, she didn't look as childish anymore. Her face had lost it's baby fat, thankfully.

Finally, her emerald eyes wandered to Sasuke. What did he look like now? Was his face more well-defined? He must be taller. How broad were his shoulders now? Did he ever think of her? Sakura's chest tightened at that last thought. Her inner self was surprisingly quiet. A tear rolled down her porcelein face, and the medic-nin made no move to stop it. Instead, she allowed herself to cry. Perhaps she was crying for what could of been, the man he could have become had the Uchiha not gone to seek power from Orochimaru.

Eventually, she cried herself out, and laid down on the couch and fell asleep. When Sakura woke up, it was almost six in the morning. She yawned and stretched, wincing at how sore her muscles were. For once, Sakura didn't have a dream about Sasuke. She was glad that she didn't have to wake up crying, but there was still that little part of her that was disappointed. The only time she ever got to see the raven-haired boy was in her dreams.

Sakura fixed herself a bowl of cereal, and ate it slowly. Finally, she was finished, and got dressed. Grabbing her keys, she left the comfort of her house. Outside, the sun was shining, leaving no trace of the storm yesterday. Sakura inhaled deeply and a small smile graced her pretty features. It was only 6:30, but there were already people hard at work. Some called out to her. Sakura greeted them back politely.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" A voice yelled, and the pink-haired girl stopped. She turned and smiled at Naruto.

"Hey, Naruto." She replied quietly.

"I never got to ask how your mission went yesterday." She told him. The blond shrugged, rubbing the back of his head.

"It was fine, you know. But I'm glad to be home." Sakura smiled.

"Where's Hinata?" She inquired, and Naruto's eyes softened at the mention of his fiancee.

"She's still at home, asleep." Sakura nodded. She bid goodbye to her other Team 7 teamate, and headed to her destination, Konoha Hospital. Once there, she greeted everyone she knew and worked dilligently. She was so busy that she had no time to dwell over Uchiha Sasuke, or even Naruto and Hinata. However, as the sun was setting behind the mountains, Sakura couldn't help where her thoughts, or her feet, led her.

Sakura was now standing in front of a very familiar-looking bench. She felt tears prick the back of her eyes, but she wouldn't let them flow. Slowly, she sat down and exhaled, almost expecting to see Sasuke coming towards her with that purple backpack. She smiled sadly, leaning back and getting comfortable. That had been the night where he had broken her heart. She knew he had known it. However, what was that 'Thank you.' for? For never giving up on him? For always being there? Sakura sighed. Perhaps she wasn't supposed to know. She closed her eyes.

"You're annoying." Sakura froze. Those two words were painfully familiar, but the voice that said them wasn't. Slowly, she opened her emerald eyes and sat up straight. She was now staring at the tall form of Uchiha Sasuke. He was looked down at her with those dark eyes of him. Sakura felt her mouth go dry at the sight of him.

"Have you been waiting for me all this time?" He snorted, and looked away from her. Sakura smiled sadly. He surprised the both of them by sitting next to her, and Sakura was forcefully reminded of the day that Naruto pretended to be Sasuke and he had sat next to her. He was even in the same position. Elbows braced on his knees, fingers folded and his chin rested on top.

Sakura exhaled slowly, and tilted her head back, gazing at the pink and orange clouds rather than him. She had figured that this was another dream. After all, the Uchiha was never coming home.

"Sakura, look at me." Sasuke's gruff voice broke through her thoughts, and she obeyed. This was not the voice of the young boy she had known. No, this was the voice of a man. He still looked the same, although his face had shaped nicely. Also, his shoulders had, in fact, broadened.

However, he was still the same Sasuke. He smirked at her, and Sakura couldn't help but remember how much he used to do that back when they were still Team 7. It made her heart ache, and she turned her head.

"You think that you're dreaming, don't you?" Sasuke said, and Sakura turned to look at him. _How did he know that...?_ Sasuke smiled, and gazed up at the sky.

"Because every time you went to bed, I was the one manipulating your dreams." He confessed, still looking up. The pink-haired woman felt numb.

"But I really am back." He said, finally looking at her. If this was a dream, Sakura never wanted it to end. Tears unconciously spilled from her eyes, and Sasuke's calloused thumb began to brush them away. He was being gentle. Sakura was convinced this was a dream, and pulled away. The tears began to flow faster.

"Go away, Sasuke." She mumbled, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"This is a dream. I know it is. You're not really here, being so kind, and I'm going to wake up soon, crying because of the pain of you not being here." She closed her eyes. Suddenly, she felt very warm, and her eyes snapped open. She was against Sasuke's chest. When did that happen?

"Look, I know you think you're dreaming, but pinch yourself." He commanded, and Sakura did as told. She jumped at the flash of pain, and yelped. Then she froze. Sasuke chuckled into her hair.

"Look, I can't give you what you want. I defeated Itachi, and Orochimaru, but I will always have the heart of an avenger. I won't be sweet and shower you with compliments." He told her absentmindedly. Sakura turned around, and she started to cry into his shirt. He was surprised at the action, and for a few moments, didn't do anything. He slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, hesitant.

"Y-you're really home." She stuttered, still crying. But this time, she was happy. Honestly, and truely happy. That hadn't happened in a long time.

"I'm sorry that the dreams hurt you so much." He muttered.

"They were my only way of keeping in touch with you, though." At this, Sakura pulled back and stared at him. His face was tinting a red color. Was the great Uchiha Sasuke BLUSHING?

"I hated how you were always on my mind, and how I couldn't forget that last night we spent together." Sakura smiled, and buried her head into his shoulder. He hadn't said it in so many words, but he was hinting at the fact that he had missed her. She snuggled into him, and inhaled his scent.

"I won't always be able to make you happy, Sakura." He told her firmly.

"There will be days when I piss you off, and you piss me off." Sakura lifted her head.

"I meant it when I told you I loved you more than anything." She said sincerely.

"You wouldn't be you without your faults, Sasuke." She knew he wasn't perfect, and neither was she. But this was her Happily Ever After, and Haruno Sakura wouldn't have it any other way.

**Another A/N- Oh man, this story was a pain in my butt to write! I actually never planned on writing a sequel to Only in Dreams, but here I am! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the story. I put a lot of thought into this, and I tried my best to keep Sasuke in character. I hate it when he's majorly OOC. I mean, really. It's destroying him when he's too sweet. Anyway, see that little purple button below? Review! They make me happy, and it makes me update Surprise all the quicker! Also, if you're a Harry Potter fan, I have another story out called Prophecy. Look at that if you want. Thanks to my awesome cousin Christina for posting this up and whipping me into updating!**

**A/N-From Invisible1WithNoFaith- my cousin loves me...lol I don't know if this is the end or if she's writing more...I really hope she is!**


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